Materials / Metallurgy

Materials are the building blocks of our modern world. Ranging from the steel used to build automobiles and other machines to the plastic used in pipes and ropes to the concrete used in our roads, homes and offices.

As new materials and uses for them increase, so do the sources for them worldwide and the variance in standards for manufacture.

When the failure of a consumer product, component or system is identified as the cause of an accident, particularly one involving extensive damage, injuries or fatalities, learning why the failure occurred is of paramount importance.

Did it occur because extraordinary forces were applied?

Because a component was improperly designed or made of the wrong materials?

Was it manufactured or installed incorrectly?

Or could poor maintenance have caused the failure?

S-E-A's materials engineers focus on why and how materials, components and systems fail. They use numerous tools and techniques in their analysis of metallic and non-metallic materials, including optical and scanning electron microscopes, materials and component testing, and computer modeling. S-E-A maintains a stringent "chain of custody" for evidence from receipt to possible litigation.